Don't Give Up
by Kyouryoku Senshi
Summary: IWTB missing scenes. Bridging all the gaps between when Scully seeks Skinner's help to find Mulder and when they arrive back home. Some slight differences to the movie.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Don't Give Up

Author: Kyo

Website:

Rating: PG-13

Summary: IWTB spoiler. This is a one shot scene fill in between the time Mulder gets in his car accident and Scully demands help to find Mulder and the when she and Skinner arrive on the scene. Most of my IWTB fics involve Scully and Mulder expecting a second child, because I really do believe these two deserve a second chance at some normalcy and this avenue does not get explored much at all.

All Mulder could think about as he felt himself being pushed over a cliff to meet his demise within seconds, was his Scully. The fear that he might never see her again. He wanted to hold and kiss her and tell her how much he loved her, that he'd made a mistake to suggest they shouldn't be together, that his quest wasn't more important than the life he now shared with her. The images of agony and pain in her eyes flashed before him and it was too much to bear. She had given up her life for him, lost her father, sister and their son, William. She was abducted and returned with cancer. His mind quickly replayed the day before when he was searching their home for clues to the case he was working on and a little black and white picture of an ultrasound he found under Scully's briefcase.

On the top corner read "Scully, Dana. 12 weeks 1/5/2008" She was somehow miraculously pregnant and didn't tell him. He was angry when he analyzed the little grained image with the blob he figured was his baby. Not angry because he didn't want the baby, but because she kept it from him. But then again, who would want a fugitive's baby after already going through what she went through with William? He honestly didn't blame her, but now he may never get to tell her how he really felt…that he wanted a life with her and the baby she was carrying more than anything else. She had been more emotional than usual lately now that he thought about it. She had been in tears over her patient, Christian, and he only suspected it was because he reminded her of William. As he felt the car begin to roll downward towards his death, he closed his eyes tightly as he remembered Scully's earlier confession. "I love you too, Scully. Please forgive me."

Scully was on the verge of tears once Special Agent Drummy transferred the call. Granted, she just gave him a piece of her mind, but she couldn't control the sudden change in hormones lately. She was in tears nearly on a daily basis, especially when it came to her patient, Christian. She would have liked to believe William would look similar to him, though he would be just a little younger. She was afraid of losing Mulder again; afraid once again that he wouldn't see the baby she was carrying. She allowed herself to place her hand on her still mostly flat abdomen as she fought back tears. She exhaled when she heard the other line pick up.

"Dana?"

Scully gasped at the familiarity of Walter Skinner's voice. "Sir…" She thought she would never hear that familiar comforting voice of her superior again, though she wished it were under better circumstances.

"Oh, thank god."

"What's going on, Dana?" he responded, concern evident in his voice.

As much as Scully tried to fight back tears, her voice was breaking.

"It's Mulder. I can't reach him and it's been more than 24 hours…he's been obsessed with this case and I'm terrified I'm going to lose him again. I can't…not again."

She heard him sigh. She knew he was having de ja vu right about now.

"Calm down, Scully…it's going to be okay," he tried to console her. It wasn't like her to be so overly emotional unless something was really wrong.

"I hope so…I can't lose him again, I haven't told him," those last words just seemed to fly out of her mouth on their own before she realized what she said.

"Tell him what, Dana?"

"I'm pregnant."

When she uttered those tear filled words, she knew her former supervisor was mentally, if not actually physically shaking his head right now wondering how she got into the very same mess for the second time.

"He's not getting away, not this time. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Once he disconnected the call, she covered her face and began to sob. She never got to tell him…she was afraid to. She couldn't have this baby if Mulder was off chasing monsters in the dark again…she didn't want to have to go through the agony of having to give up another baby to keep her safe. What if Mulder hated her for this after all that happened with William? All she knew was she was terrified of losing him again. She hoped so much that she would find him alive so she could tell him and despite what they had been going through the last few days, that he would be happy too. She wasn't going to give up.

The end…

Please do R&R!


	2. Chapter 2

It seemed like an eternity before Skinner arrived to meet with Scully at Our Lady of Sorrows Hospital. She did one final check up on Christian before the sound of her cell phone pierced the silence, forcing her to leave the room and the hospital itself as she went to meet Skinner outside the corridors.

It took all she had not to crumple at the sight of her ex boss she hadn't seen in 6 years since living in isolation. Instead, she pulled open the passenger door and looked over at him. "I…I appreciate you doing this for me…for us, sir."

Skinner briefly averted his gaze as he pulled away from the curb. "You don't need to call me sir anymore, Dana; I think it's safe to say we're past formalities with what we have been through."

She gently squeezed his hand briefly. "I know…it's just that…"

"Why didn't you tell him?" Skinner interrupted before she could say more.

Scully blinked back tears. "Pregnant with a fugitive's baby when there was no way I could conceive my last child," she scoffed. "Besides…I couldn't…especially after what we said to one another."

That caught Skinner's attention. "What do you mean? What happened between you, Dana?"

Scully looked down as she tucked a stray piece of hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail. "I couldn't handle how invested he was getting into this case. I know it was the right thing for him to do so he doesn't have to live like a fugitive...that's why I insisted that he do it. But I have been avoiding what I have feared all along, that him chasing monsters will disrupt the peace we've fought so hard for. I told him the other day I wasn't coming home after I told him what this was doing to me…even though it was my idea, my suggestion for him to get involved. I realized that later...that this was why I loved him so much…why I convinced him to take the case."

Scully was aware Skinner was looking over at her and she looked away with unshed tears in her eyes. "Yesterday, when I saw him at the hospital, I tried to tell him that. That I love him despite of all of this, but he said it's the very reason we can't be together," her voice broke.

Skinner gently touched her arm. "Dana," he started.

"I'm so afraid something terrible has happened to him and now he may never know about the baby," she began to sob.

"Look, Dana, I may not have been able to save him before, but I promise you…I know he is alive and I will give my life if it means he makes it home okay…and then I will do whatever it takes to make sure he doesn't do anything like this to you again."

Scully knew her boss always had feelings for her and she loved him for it even if it wasn't in the way he had always hoped for. But she and Mulder had grown close to him over many years and has more than proven he can be trusted.

A moment later, Scully got a call that her car had been found…over the edge of a cliff. When she got off the phone and broke the news to Skinner and told him the address, her fears had nearly doubled. Skinner quickly plugged the location into the GPS.

"They didn't find a body," She said aloud in more of an attempt to console herself than anything else. But now he was alone in the freezing cold somewhere, assuming he was still alive somewhere.

Skinner felt this scenario was all too familiar. When he found Mulder, he couldn't wait to tear into him and give him a piece of his mind about causing this grief to his partner. Once he made sure he was okay, that is.

Once they arrived on the scene, Scully nearly threw herself out of the car and past the several agents that had gathered there. Skinner was close behind her as she was telling the sergeant who she was and who he was. She felt her heart sink once she was handed Mulder's phone with blood on it, obviously his.

Skinner had sensed her distress when she told him in a quivering, shaky voice what they had found. He really did want to kill Mulder right about now for causing Scully so much unnecessary grief. Her demanding, no nonsense demeanor completely changed once she had reached him earlier.

She was definitely the same Scully from 6 years ago, though her hair was a lot longer and lighter. She had only aged just slightly, yet was still a beautiful woman. Mulder was a one lucky sonofabitch, though he definitely didn't act like it.

It wasn't much longer before they were on their way again, searching for clues, with no destination in mind. Scully was looking outside for much of the time and he knew she was doing her best to hide her emotions.

Tired of the awkward silence, he sighed and assured her once more that they would find him.

"I know Mulder, he would get to a phone and call first," he said in a lame attempt to comfort her.

"He wouldn't do anything crazy…" Scully looked over and gave him an incredulous look at that.

"Not overly crazy," he finished, covering for himself.

Not long after that, Scully had instructed him to pull over. He did as he was told and watched her as he began to inspect the mailboxes. She obviously had some sort of clue to where Mulder might be, as she recognized the address to be one of the suspects, followed by sounds of dogs barking and howling.

"What is it, Dana?"

"Dogs," was all she said and before he knew it, he was chasing her several yards across property in sleet and snow towards where the sound was coming from. The only stopped at the sight of a two headed dog, to which Skinner cringed at when one of the heads looked up and grunted at them. Scully gasped at the trail of blood that preceded it. There had obviously been a struggle to cause the death of one of the dogs.

He watched as she placed her hand on her belly as she continued to follow the trail. The gesture was either one of two things. She was cold or it as an absent minded gesture he had become accustomed to that signaled how protective she was feeling over her baby. He assumed it was the latter.

Once they reached the entrance to a run down building that resembled a warehouse, he very reluctantly agreed to split up…though he was very much aware of how futile of an argument it would be, given her present state of mind.

Scully rounded the corner of one of the buildings with the nearest entrance, so which she heard a loud sharpening that could have only come from the sound of sharpening something such as an axe or a sword. She sucked in her breath at the sight of Mulder on the ground, barely conscious and completely unaware of his presence. Thankfully, his captor was as well. She hurriedly tried to find a large enough object she could wield and render this man powerless.

Fueled with adrenaline, she grabbed a large pipe that was left to scrap and yelled out "Hey!" and swung it as hard as she could. She barely saw the man go down as she rushed to Mulder's side, obviously grateful he was still alive. She gently touched his face and wanted nothing more than to hold him and tell him how sorry she was, but he needed fluids, clothes and medical treatment fast. It was obvious he suffered a major concussion and his body was badly reacting to the freezing cold.

"Sssorry about your car," he muttered. She wanted so much just to cry and tell him that it didn't matter anymore, that she was so happy he was alive…that she got to him in time.

"It's okay, Mulder…it's okay," she whispered as she gently analyzed the extent of his injuries. "I'll be right back, I promise." She hurriedly ran into the building to see Skinner yelling at several obviously unauthorized medical professionals.

She was horrified at the sight of the victim they were searching for in ice cold water and an obviously decapitated victim. Once Skinner seemed to have the situation under control, she looked over at him anxiously. "Mulder is right outside this door…he needs clothes and fluids right away…I have to take care of this."

Skinner looked at her. "Don't worry, I already have reinforcements on the way for these other people."

She watched as he disappeared out the door.

Mulder was right where Scully said he would be, barely conscious. He threw off his coat and tucked it around Mulder's body tightly. Any anger he had for this man only minutes ago had completely taken a vacation once he saw the state this man was in. He was barely alive.

"Skinner?" Mulder muttered. "You're a sight for sore eyes."

Skinner held his former subordinate close and decided to let the comment slide. Despite how frustrating he was over the years, he had to admit he did care a lot about this man.

"Cold…" Mulder whispered.

"I know, it's going to be okay…just keep your eyes open. Talk to me, okay?"

Skinner touched Mulder's head lightly, part of which was a slight reassurance he would be okay. He only hoped his injuries weren't too extensive.

Mulder shuddered.

He had to keep him talking until the reinforcements and ambulance came in.

"You have been a real pain in my ass over the years, Mulder. You know that, right?"

That earned him a slight chuckle, but no response.

"But despite everything, I know Scully sees so much more in you. What I have come to see also in recent years. Despite that thick head of yours, you're a good man, Mulder. I never understood it at first, but I do now."

Mulder closed his eyes. "Dddoesn't deserve me…deserves better," he muttered.

"Well, that's certainly not how she sees it. I've seen her anguish over you more times than I would like to count...have experienced firsthand what losing you does to her and believe me, there is no one else for her."

He could hear faint sounds of the ambulance in the distance, knowing they were close. Scully had rushed back outside to check on them and their reinforcements. It was then Skinner realized Mulder had stopped being responsive.

Scully obviously sensed Skinner's distress as she was at his side within moments begging and pleading with him to talk to her…to say something. The next several minutes were a blur, but at that moment, the ambulance and reinforcements arrived and Skinner was yelling out orders to arrest doctors and get stretchers out to transport Mulder and the girl inside.

Once he was back at her side Skinner saw her attempts at waking him had obviously failed and her sobs were uncontrollable "No, I can't lose you," she cried. "Please, please don't leave us. I need you!"

Skinner pulled her into his arms and felt tears in his own eyes. "He's going to be okay, Dana, I promise."

He only hoped that this time he was right.

To be continued….


	3. Chapter 3

The ambulance ride felt like an eternity to Scully. She knew he was only unconscious, but she had no idea what the extent of his injuries were and the last thing she needed was for him to slip into a coma that he would never come out of. She had instructed the EMT to take them to her own hospital, to ensure he would get the care he needed and Skinner would follow once everything was taken care of at the crime scene.

As she continued to make note of Mulder's injuries, she felt more tears coming. Mulder had had countless brain injuries. She only hoped he could make a full recovery. "I'm sorry, Mulder," she whispered. "For the things I said…I know you can hear me. I need you to make it through this, okay?"

As she prayed their destination would come soon, Scully eyed a piece of paper hanging loose from Mulder's pocket. Curiosity getting the best of her, she snatched it up and opened it. The familiar grainy image caused her to gasp. It was her ultrasound photo.

He knew about the baby, but what was he doing carrying this around? She felt a brief moment of anger that Mulder would go and do something this reckless if he was aware he was going to be a father. The brief memory of when he found out about William flashed through her mind. She only hoped he didn't think she was keeping this from him because it wasn't his.

She pocketed the piece of paper and looked back at his lifeless face, causing her anger to quickly dissipate. She couldn't be angry with him. This was who he was, what he did. But she was terrified that maybe he was still angry with her about William…even six years later it was a touchy subject. Maybe he didn't want to go through it all again; maybe this baby brought back painful memories from which he wanted to escape.

When she found out about the pregnancy, she too was less than pleased. She had a hard time being excited about this baby, knowing the dangerous world she would be bringing her into. But she was almost 43…miscarriage rates were already 30% and her chances were probably double given her age and medical history aside from the fact that she couldn't conceive. Unable to go through with an abortion…she figured it would be better letting her body naturally dispose of the fetus. She wouldn't have to tell Mulder and get him emotionally invested in a pregnancy that wasn't likely to be viable anyways.

However, she instantly regretted that feeling when she woke up bleeding at around 8 weeks. Once losing the baby became very real, she didn't realize how attached to the baby she already was and couldn't bear the thought of losing it. She recalled making up some excuse to Mulder that she was called into work when she rushed to the hospital.

Much to her relief, she didn't suffer a miscarriage, but it still was not out of the realm of possibilities. The doctor wanted to monitor her for a high risk pregnancy, meaning unlike most other women of childbearing age, she still had very high chances of suffering a later term miscarriage or even a still birth and that still terrified her. She couldn't go any longer without Mulder's support.

Once they arrived at the hospital, she found herself telling borage of hospital staff about the extent of Mulder's injuries…that she knew of anyways. Scully was told what she was already expecting to hear…she was too close to the patient to do any procedures on him.

"But, I'm his doctor…I'm the only one who knows his medical history," she insisted.

One of her colleagues tried to assure her that he was in good hands, which she knew. She wouldn't let anyone do anything to him that she didn't trust could do that job.

It was agonizing being a Dr. herself and not being able to follow the gurney as they took him away to emergency. She bit her lip in an attempt not to breakdown in sobs before everyone she worked with on a daily basis.

Thankfully, Skinner was at her side guiding her to a chair in the waiting room. Here she was, a doctor and she had to wait in the waiting room, utterly powerless to do anything for her partner.

It was only an hour or so later, when a physician she knew quite well approached her.

She was on her feet before Skinner even knew what was happening.

"Dr. Scully…"

"How is he? Is he going to be okay," her voice broke.

He averted his gaze and hesitated, which did nothing to calm Scully's nerves.

"As I'm sure you know already, he has suffered a concussion along with several wounds. He does have mild bruising from the accident and we did find the acepromazine you mentioned he was injected with."

Scully knew there was more by his troubled facial expression.

"What else did you find?"

He sighed. "Dr. Scully, you partner has some swelling of the brain…and we need to operate on him as soon as possible in order to prevent an aneurism."

He didn't need to finish that sentence as Scully already knew what that meant. Mulder could suffer from serious brain damage. She looked away as tears filled her eyes.

"Another thing…we noticed in the CT scan that he has had several other brain related trauma…you are aware of this, correct."

Scully nodded. "He has had…procedures, some ethical and some not."

"I can show you the images if you'd like."

Scully nodded and looked over at Skinner. "I'll be right back."

She hurriedly followed her colleague into the imaging room. He didn't waste any time in showing her the images on the screen…of the swelling…of the previous brain injuries.

"He should be okay…as long as we're able to relieve the swelling…he should be okay. We're going to have to put him into a drug induced coma and I'm sure I don't need to explain the risks."

Scully nodded. It was very risky to put Mulder into such as state given his injuries, but it had to be done.

"Can I see him now, please?" Scully asked in a pleaded whisper.

He nodded slowly and proceeded to show her to the room Mulder was in. "I will give you a few minutes, but not too long. We need to get him ready."

Scully's mind was focused on Mulder's body on the operating table, already prepped for surgery. Several nurses saw her approach and followed the doctor's lead to leave the room.

Scully couldn't contain herself anymore and let out a loose sob as she approached Mulder. His face was cleaned up and he lay naked on the metal slab operating table with just a cloth covering his bottom half.

"Oh Mulder," she whispered as she touched his face.

She wiped away a stray tear that had fallen onto his skin and fought for words. "I'm here, Mulder. We're going to take good care of you, okay? I promise. I'm not ready to lose you, so I need you to fight through this, okay?"

She gently touched his hand and kissed his cheek. "I will be here waiting for you to come out. I…I love you so much. I need you to know I meant what I said the other day. I was just so afraid…afraid of this. Of you getting hurt and not coming back to me."

She was startled by a twitch of his hand under hers. She looked away and back at his face again. Despite the lack of movement…she knew that he must hear her somewhere in there, even if it was in a dream.

"Please Mulder…I need you to be strong for me…because I haven't been able to."

She finally forced herself to pull away and let the other doctors do their work.

She found Skinner still waiting for her in the hospital corridor. Obviously concerned, he placed his arm around her shoulder and led her to a chair.

"Dana," he started.

Scully stared at the floor, hating that she felt helpless despite the fact she saved lives every day.

"I should have gone with him," he voice broke.

"Dana…I know what you're thinking. That you're somehow responsible for this."

"I told him I wasn't going home, that I couldn't look into the darkness with him anymore. But I should have known this was going to happen…that this is who he is. I've always known it. It couldn't stay this way forever once he was exonerated."

Skinner sighed as he rubbed her back. "If Mulder could get through all the things he's been through, Dana, I'm sure this won't stop him."

"I hope so."

Skinner continued to hold Scully through her tears.

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4

"Please, stop, don't hurt my baby! Please!" The fear of someone hurting William was almost too much to bear. She felt utterly powerless as she fought as hard as she could to keep the man from suffocating her son and the mixed bittersweet relief she felt once she shot the man, but at the same time knew her baby was still in danger.

The terrifying feeling of coming to find her abandoned child lying amongst the dirt in the middle of nowhere, as if someone had just taken out the trash…this child that meant everything to her, that was so precious to her.

It was utter agony when she surrendered the baby to Monica to take to the adoption agency. The utter despair she felt at saying the final goodbye to her child forever was suffocating. She just wanted him to know how much she loved him, how special he was to her and how difficult this decision was to keep him safe. She never stopped hearing the lyrics "William was a bullfrog, was a good friend of mine". It was as if they echoed through the walls of her home. And in those moments, she remembered how William would smile at her as she sang to him, as if he were laughing at her inability to carry a tone. Something Mulder would have done.

"Dana," a voice echoed. She jumped at the touch and suddenly she was in a white room, sitting at a desk, hers,…and apparently had fallen asleep. And there it was, the face that matched the voice she knew from over 6 years ago…the once she trusted to help her move forward with the adoption.

"Monica," she whispered. "What are you doing here…how did you…"

Monica smiled as she took a seat across from her. She didn't change much. Her hairline had only receded slightly and was longer than before, like her own. She was thinner, but not by much.

"Your door was unlocked. Skinner said I might find you here. He called me and John and told me about everything that happened. I'm just here as a friend, Dana. I know you don't have many, due to recent circumstances around Mulder's exoneration."

Scully sighed and sat up, rubbing her eyes. The nightmare that plagued her on a regular basis would not cease. Part of her feared she made a terrible decision to keep her baby. If she couldn't protect William, how could they protect this child and still give her a normal life.

"Oh god," Scully said with a mixture of shock and relief. "You're sure a sight for sore eyes."

Monica smiled as she crossed her legs. "Well, I'll take that as a compliment."

"You're still thinking about it, aren't you."

Scully pretended to not know what her friend was speaking of, even though she knew.

"Thinking about what?"

"About William, about the adoption. You're wondering if he's okay, if you made the right decision."

Scully managed a laugh at that. Not much has changed. Her friend was still analytical as usual. Sometimes she wondered if there was even something alien about her.

"I have a patient. This boy with Sandhoff's disease…everyone I work with thinks we should do nothing but let him die. But I can't. I know...I feel a connection to him. I can't help but think about…"

"William?" Monica finished.

"This boy, he is the same as William would be now…he has dark hair and blue eyes."

Monica nodded, immediately putting together the connection. "There's something else, isn't there, Dana?"

Scully looked away for a moment, unsure if she wanted to tell anyone else this news, but she thought it would help.

"Monica, somehow…I recently found out I'm pregnant."

She took a moment to let that sink in to her friend's mind, with everything she knew about William.

She smiled. "I would offer my congratulations…but you don't seem happy about it."

Scully looked down and fumbled with a pen on her desk. "With everything that happened with William, what guarantee is there that I can keep this child safe, that it will be any different from before. I know Mulder…it's his life to chase monsters in the dark. I told him just the other day that I wasn't coming home…because despite how well I know him, I couldn't handle this. I knew his exoneration would one day come and I was kidding myself to believe we could have any sort of normal life."

Monica watched as her friend teared up…something she did a lot when they worked together.

"And there is a chance I might lose him again. I don't know what to do. I can't do this; I can't go through this again."

Monica swallowed, reached out and touched Scully's arm reassuringly.

"Dana, it may have been a long time since we've seen each other or talked. But there is one thing that I do know that hasn't changed. Mulder is going to come back from this. You were an amazing mother to your son and made the best decision for him at that time. But that's not to say you won't see him again or that things can't be different now."

Scully smiled and she really wanted to believe those things too. Before she could respond, she could hear herself being paged. She needed to check on Christian and then Mulder; he was due out of surgery soon.

She stood as Monica followed suit. "I have to go...I have to check on my patient."

"Of course. Well, you know where to find me. I'll be with Skinner in the waiting room. Agent Doggett is on his way here too."

Scully smiled and let her friend exit before she followed suit, quickly wiping her eyes.

To be contined…


	5. Chapter 5

Scully went to check on Christian again and somehow, despite everything she was feeling and going throw. The sight of him made her smile as it always did. "Herro, Dr. Scully."

"Hi Christian, how are you feeling today?" she touched his arm as she came to stand next to his side as she often did.

"I'm doin okay, how 'bout you, Dr. Scully?"

Scully sighed. "I think I am doing okay," she didn't intend to sound so unsure.

The boy surprisingly gave her a disbelieving look. "You look sad."

"What makes you say that, Christian?"

"You're not yourself today."

Scully looked down and sighed. "Well, you are right, Christian. I am worried about someone close to me who just had major surgery."

It took effort, but the boy whom she thought probably resembles William at this point frowned. "Major surgery, like me?"

Scully nodded. "Yes, kind of like that."

Sensing her sadness, he smiled at her. "You're dah best doctah in the world. You made me better, so I am sure he will get better, too."

This boy's words warmed hear heart and something about him always gave her courage to continue what she did best, save lives. She hoped his treatment would be enough to save him.

She reached out and gently stroked his forehead. "Sweet Christian," she found herself whispering as an image of William as a baby popped into her head.

The boy didn't seem fazed by her lack of professionalism just then though. "I bet you're dah best mommy in the world too."

Now if nothing else brought on onset of tears, that sure did. However, she was startled by Skinner at the door, who was obviously surprised by her expression. "Scully…Dana, are you okay?"

Scully nodded quickly and stepped towards him. "Sir…" she asked hopefully.

"He came out of surgery a little while ago. He's not conscious yet and they aren't sure when that will be."

Scully looked back at Christian and smiled. "I'll be back soon, okay?"

He smiled at her as she followed Skinner down the hall. "I need to see him now," she said as more of a statement than a question.

"While you were gone they said they were going to move him to the recovery room until he regains consciousness."

"Did they say anything else…do they know if he's going to be okay?" she asked hurriedly.

Skinner shook his head. "They didn't tell me anything else, believe me, I tried."

"That boy just now…"Skinner started. "Was that…"

Scully managed a brief nod, knowing Skinner already put the same connection together that she did.

Once they were allowed into the recovery room, Scully wasn't given much more information than Skinner was, so she decided to look over Mulder's paperwork herself. The surgery was successful, but it was now a matter of when Mulder would become conscious to know if there was any long term damage. Scully ordered to have a cot brought in so she could stay with him until he woke up…no matter how long it took.

Scully fought back tears at the sight that was so similar to when he came back from the dead. She felt a horrible sense of de ja vu upon entering his room. Here she was, pregnant again, only he was very much alive…she hoped anyways.

She gently took his hand in her own. "I know you didn't believe me earlier, but I do love you, Mulder and that's not going to change."

She watched the beeping machines monitoring his vital signs. She felt her eyes beginning to close. She decided to lie down next to Mulder. At least she could finally get some much needed sleep while she waited for him to wake. While one hand never left his, the other gently rested on the still very small bump of her stomach. She felt herself being swept away from the real world quite quickly.

Skinner of course, was always a man who got what he wanted. After John Doggett had arrived to wait with Monica, Skinner pressed for more answers on Mulder. About 20 minutes after a lengthy and somewhat heated discussion, he opened the door to the recovery room Mulder was in, only to see a sight he was now so accustomed to seeing. Scully was fast asleep at Mulder's side, her hand tightly enclosed around his.

Scully didn't flinch at the movement in the room. She must have been exhausted with the added stress of her pregnancy. He noted that she didn't have any sort of blanket, so he sighed as he left the room to go retrieve one, which required a little more use of his authority, but he got it done and insisted he bring it in himself as he didn't want anyone to disturb either one of them unless it was necessary. He also grabbed an extra chair from a room nearby and managed to get back into the room as quietly as he could. He gently draped the blanket over Scully's shivering form. A minute or two later, he could tell she was much more comfortable, yet didn't wake. He proceeded to take a seat in the chair opposite Mulder.

He flipped through some magazines for what seemed like an eternity before he heard a slight change in beeping on the machines next to Mulder and then some movement. He looked over to see Scully was still in a deep slumber. Who knew the last time she had gotten any sleep and he was honestly a little afraid to know since this last charade of Mulder's.

He looked over at Mulder to see him making eye contact with him. "Skinner?" he seemed a little confused.

He stood to push Mulder back onto his bed. "Lay back down, you just had a major surgery."

"Scully," he muttered.

Sensing his question and urgency. Skinner nodded over in the direction of Scully's sleeping form beside him. He seemed to relax a bit at that. He didn't remember much; just that he had found the missing Agent and girl they were looking for. He remembered Scully saving his ass, just like old times. But, he also remembered Skinner was at his side and then Scully was with him again, crying to him not to leave her.

"She ok?" he muttered

Skinner nodded. "Yes, Mulder, as far as I know. She was just terrified of losing you."

"Ah." He closed his eyes.

"The girl…the Agent…"

"Monica Bannan is dead, but thanks to your…misconduct, the girl is safe."

Skinner watched Mulder stare at the ceiling without a response, so he continued.

"You're officially a free man now, Mulder. All your bank accounts, driver's license, passport etc will all be valid shortly."

He chuckled. "Well, that's good news I suppose. It is quite rough living the illegal alien lifestyle."

Skinner shook his head. "Mulder," he continued at a tone so that Scully wasn't bothered. "I shouldn't have to tell you that it also means you have some difficult choices to make."

That got his attention. "Like what, sir?"

"Like…whether or not you're coming back to the FBI or?"

"Thanks, but no thanks, Walter. I'm frankly tired of the charade and routine ass kissing."

"Well, I hope for Scully's sake, whatever decision you make won't entail a repeat of this past 24-48 hours of events."

Here it comes, Skinner's kick in the ass. He was really too tired to deal with that, so he changed the subject. "Who is running the department for paranormal investigations now anyways…after the X-Files were shut down?"

"Agent Doggett and Reyes. Once you and Scully escaped, the charges against, Kersh, myself and Doggett and Reyes were dropped quite quickly. Frankly, despite the charges against you, all the FBI really cared about was the fact that you were out of their hair. They really could have pursued you and Scully if they wanted to."

"Well, at least someone has what it takes to fight for the truth."

Skinner couldn't help but smirk. "Speaking of which, I told Agent Doggett I would meet him in the lobby. You need to get some rest if you would like to leave anytime soon, Scully too."

"Yes, sir," came Mulder's comical reply.

All Skinner could do was shake his head before he left the hospital room. Once the door closed behind him, he watched Scully in her peaceful slumber. Her long strawberry blond hair had fallen over her face and there was no stopping him once he let go of her hand to lean over and move it back into place as he often liked to do.

That was all that was needed to wake her and he instantly regretted it once he did. Her eyes popped open and she took a quick look around before she gasped. "Oh. My. God."

"No, sorry, but I'll take credit anyways," he replied in his best attempt at dry humor.

He was rewarded with a small smile that he had missed seeing for so long, especially lately.

She sat up and took his hand again. "I was so worried. I thought I was going to lose you again," she said in a broken whisper.

He felt a weird sense of de ja vu as he watched her eyes fill with tears. "You're not going to get rid of me that easily. Sorry, Scully, but I'm going to continue to be a pain in your ass for years to come…if you'll have me, of course."

Scully scoffed. Instead of dignifying him with a response she moved forward to kiss him gently on the lips and lingered for a moment before pulling back.

"So Doc, am I in the clear?"

"It does appear that way, yes," she smiled. "I was so worried and scared though, Mulder. This was what I was afraid of; you getting hurt…or worse. Knowing the possibility that I might never see you again. I-I know this is your life's work and I meant what I said. It's why I followed you, why I would do it all over again. It wasn't a lie when I said I fell in love with you…even if the timing wasn't right."

Mulder watched her for a moment, before she hesitated awkwardly. She looked down and fumbled with their enclosed fingers, fighting to find the right words. He decided to make it easier for her.

He pulled his hand away briefly, to her disappointment. But once he had her attention, he gently touched her chin and guided her gaze towards his, as he has done many times before.

"Hey, it's okay. I know…about the baby. I know it's the reason you acted the way you did and said the things you said."

Scully's eyes filled with tears. "I'm so sorry, Mulder, for not telling you. I was just so afraid…so afraid I couldn't do this again, after William."

He watched her, sensing there was more. "The only reason I didn't tell you was because…I wasn't sure what I was going to do…I didn't want to subject another child to this cruel world…with what's coming. But, I couldn't go through with the termination. I figured that the odds were so stacked against me anyways. I'm 43 years old, supposedly barren and not to mention there is a 30% chance of miscarriage in the first trimester, I was certain this pregnancy wouldn't be viable."

"Scully," he started.

"No, with everything you were going through, I didn't want to add this burden to your plate, especially since it was more than likely I would miscarry anyways. So I waited and a few weeks back, I thought I was finally having a miscarriage."

"That morning when you said you were called into work at 2AM…that wasn't the reason, was it," Mulder said matter of fact.

Scully nodded. "It should have been a relief…I wouldn't have to go through a termination, but I didn't realize I was already attached to this baby…and when I saw the blood, I suddenly realized I wanted this baby more than anything…I wanted another chance."

Mulder watched as Scully finally allowed the tears to come. He gently stroked her hand. "It's okay," he whispered.

"It turned out to be a false alarm," she continued. "But then, I had no idea how to tell you or if this was something you'd want and then this case came along…you got so invested in it that I was afraid that I had made the wrong choice. I couldn't go through with a termination, but so I was afraid that I had made a terrible mistake to choose to put another child's life in danger…another life I ultimately couldn't protect."

Mulder allowed this to sink in and honestly, it hurt and pained him to think Scully thought they would lose another child because of his quest and that his quest would never allow her to have the life he knew she desperately still wanted.

He reached back up and stroked her face. "Scully, I can't promise you that I will stop searching, but I can promise you that I'm not going anywhere and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure she's safe. Someday we will find William and make peace with our decision knowing he is okay and give him a chance to know his sister.

"You sound pretty sure it's a girl, Mulder. I wasn't aware there was father's intuition on these things. What did that surgery do to you?"

"Scully, don't worry. I may not be dying of a brain disease any longer, but I do have some...intuition on these things because of what they did to me...it's not really something I can explain, but I just know."

Scully smiled. " Well then, you might want to start placing some bets. I love you so much, Mulder."

"I love you too, Scully."

End

A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed this little miniseries. I think Mulder and Scully needed a bit more of a resolution towards the end of the movie…and her emotions were all over the place, so a pregnancy definitely seemed plausible and a good reason for her actions. Please follow me as I will be posting and updating other stories.


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